Gillibrand, Kirk unite on guns

1/24/13 3:55 PM EST

The first bipartisan legislation to place tighter restrictions on guns will be introduced in the Senate next week, part of a joint effort by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

The legislation will address gun trafficking, or the moving of guns illegally across state lines.

“There's no federal law that makes gun trafficking illegal,” Gillibrand said on MSNBC. “There’s no crime to be a straw purchaser and to take weapons from a state like -- a southern state and bring it straight up to New York and sell it out of the back of your truck directly to criminals.”

Gillibrand told reporters she began working with Kirk when they both identified trafficking as a problem. She said she is hopeful the bill will be given a hearing as other proposals regarding guns begin to advance.

“We decided we're going to introduce this bipartisan bill next week, and I think it's something that can really make a difference because we have to stop the flow of illegal guns going straight to the hands of the criminals,” she said.